Cristoforo di Messisbugo or Cristoforo da Messisbugo (15th century – 1548) was a

steward Steward may refer to: Positions or roles * Steward (office), a representative of a monarch * Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district * Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other ins ...

of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

and an Italian cook of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

Biography

From 1524 to 1548, di Messisbugo served at the courts of Alfonso I and his son,

Ercole II Ercole II d'Este (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexand ...

, in

, where he organized many lavish banquets. Greatly appreciated as a master of ceremonies, he was made

count palatine A count palatine ( Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an o ...

on 20 January 1533 by the Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infant ...

. His

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

''Banchetti, composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generale'', which was published posthumously in 1549, is addressed to those preparing princely feasts and provides detailed descriptions of the menus for his official banquets at the Este court. As well as listing recipes, it also discusses logistics, decor, and cooking equipment. ''Libro novo nel qual si insegna a far d'ogni sorte di vivanda'', attributed to him and published in Venice in 1564, well after his death, is largely a repetition of his recipes in ''Banchetti''. Some of the dishes he described survive today in the Ferrara area. The first known reference to the preparation of

Beluga sturgeon The beluga (), also known as the beluga sturgeon or great sturgeon (''Huso huso''), is a species of anadromous fish in the sturgeon family (Acipenseridae) of order Acipenseriformes. It is found primarily in the Caspian and Black Sea basins, ...

caviar Caviar (also known as caviare; from fa, خاویار, khâvyâr, egg-bearing) is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread. Traditionally, the t ...

(from the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

) in Italy is in Messisbugo's books. He described serving and preserving caviar. He is buried in the church of the monastery of

Sant'Antonio in Polesine Sant'Antonio in Polesine is a Catholic monastic complex of the nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict located in Ferrara, Italy and dedicated to Anthony the Great. Administratively, it is part of the deanery of Ferrara, part of the Archdiocese of F ...

Bibliography

*Cristoforo da Messisbugo, ''Banchetti, composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generale'', Ferrara, 154
full text
*Cristoforo da Messisbugo, ''Libro novo nel qual si insegna a far d'ogni sorte di vivanda'', Venezia, 156
full text

References

Sources

* Alberto Capatti, Massimo Montanari, ''Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History'', 2003.

External links

Photos de la Bibliothèque CasanatenseBanchetti, composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generaleLibro novo nel qual si insegna a far d'ogni sorte di vivanda
*''Gastrocheanolites messisbugi'' a Lower

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

icnospecies dedicated to Messisbugo occurs in th
rock columns in the Main Post Office of Ferrara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Messisbugo, Cristoforo 1548 deaths Italian chefs Italian Renaissance people 16th-century Italian writers Imperial counts palatine Italian food writers Italian cookbook writers 15th-century births Ferrara Italian gastronomes

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References

Sources

External links